The Data Expansion

aD

ine UARIA EXPANSION 1

BE NA OG DE DE AE OF 9O PE DE DE DPE DE PE HE DE DE DE PA DE I DE PE DE DE DE DE PE SE PE DE PE PE DE DE DE DE DG DG DE DE DE DE PE DE DE AO JE PA JE DE PA DA DG 2E DE DE DG AE JE DAJA
THE DATA EXPANSION
TEIMEX/SINCLAIR/AMSTRAD METROPLEX NEWSLETTER
COVERING: TIMEX, CP/M, MS-DOS
VOL 5, NUMBER 7<>JULY 1988
EDITOR: DAVID BAULCH :
FEIE HEH HEHE HE HE HE EE HE E JE DE E HE IC HE HE IG HE HE EG HE HE EE HE RRR E E RE RHR RES

NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

MK MC Ook Sie
xem KK K

This has been a most very interesting month. Summer school
is more difficult than I thought it vould be, but I am ;
surviving. I have had a fev difficulties here and there vith ay
2068, but so far, everything has turned out just fine. The more
and more I get to work with the 2068 and the RP/M from AERCO,
the more I find out how useful it really is. I an also finding
out hou to use the system euch nore smoothly. I did have to call
for some information, but Jerry was not there. Til gave me as
much information as he could ~ which was considerable, but I
will have te cail back to get some extremely extensive technical
information from Jerry himself. I did learn that the MO-3 format

‘ wae accessed from the E: and F: drives. That was a big help in

itself.
5 MMH HEE HH HHH HIE HE HI HH HE IEE MIE NM HHI MH HAN HHH MII MI HIN HRN HH

This newsletter is published monthly and is sent to al} of
our subscribers and to other user groups throughout the U.S.,
Canada, Mexico, and Europe. The monthly printing is about 30
copies. The Timex Sub-Board on the FUKUG MBBS & PSDE [8/1/N),
(817 or 214) 540-4183, carries a number of TS 2068 and Spectrum
downloads and is up 24 hrs. The FWKUG MBBS also carries a large
number of RP/M (CP/M 2.2) for the AERCO Disk System and the

_ Zebra Disk System and MS-DOS downloads for the Amstrad and other

MS-DOS computers. The subscription rates for the newsletter aret
$2.50 a month or $12.00 for six months. Anyone wishing to
advertise, our rates are: $5.00 (minimum) for 1/4 page, $10.00
for 1/2 page, and $20.00 for a full page. Please send to: David
Baulch, 4424 Geddes Avenue, Fort Werth, TX 76107.

PRESIDENT: CHUCK DAWSON VICE-PRESIDENT :FRANK BOULDIN
TREASURER: ELLIS SAUNDERS SECRETARY :FREO STOCKTON
EDITOR:DAVID BAULCH PROGRAM EDITOR:CHUCK DAWSON `

TECHNICAL EDITOR: FRANK BOULDIN ;
D DEDE SE IE IE IE 2E BE DEDE IE SE IE JE 90 E IE PE DE IE IE DA JE FE DE IE IE FE DE DE IO IE DE AEDE JE E 9 IE PE FE DE 9 FE JE FE JE AME EIE DEM SIE DEFE

MEETING NOTES - JUNE

The meeting convened in MEETING ROOM °A° of the Fort Worth
Public Library at 300 Tayler Street in downtown Fort Worth. The
next meeting is scheduled for JULY 9, 1988 in MEETING ROOM °A‘.
The meetings are on the second Saturday of every month from 1:00
P.M. to 4:00 P.M. The meetings ere open to all who wish to learn
more about Sinclair, Timex, Amstrad, CP/M, and MS-DOS computers.
This includes anyone using any type of disk system with their
computers, or other computer operator/owners are more than
velcome as there are many different types of computers, í
peripherals, programming languages, and programs that get

2 THE DATA EXPANSION

discussed.

I am afraid that the meeting I attended had rather ‘sparse’
attendance. I know that when summer gets here, many people
decide to go on vacations, work around the house, go Swiming.
and such. I feel like doing the same things, and quite
frequently do -the same things. But this Saturday’s turnout was
definitely the worse. 1 am afraid that I was the only one that
turn up for the meeting, so there was no meeting and there are
no notes!

Pee Te TTT TTT TTT DE IE IE JE DE JE ME DE DE JE DE HE JE IE PE IE ME JE IE IE M E IE JE DE IE DE IE DE IE JE E IE JE NE IE ME JE ME PE JE H AE IE E KE HE XE

EDITOR'S MAILBAG

Msg#: 93 Date: 046/12/88

From: TIM PETERSEN (Private)
To: DAVIO BAULCH
Re: 2068

DAVID,

Thanks. Should you happen to have ready access to the
name, address, phone number of the Florida fire, I'd be
interested in contacting them for more information. tS
appreciate your help!

Tim,
HRM HARRAH

Magt: 98 ` Date: 06/16/88
From: DAVID BAULCH

To: TIM PETERSEN

Re: 2068

TIM,
Mike wanted that computer badly and vas able to get it. |

will find the information necessary and leave you a message on
the board. There may even be a few other places.

David
c3¢3c3C3C3
Mao#: 95 Datet 06/16/88
From: PETER FISCHER
-© To: DAVID BAULCH ?
Ret Z-SI/0 CARD
David,

I’m glad you decided to opt for the 7-S1/0 Card. I think
you will be happier vith the increased capability it has, It WAS
a aad thing to hear about losing Dave C. From our community.

Adios, Pete!
3 9 1G 36 HE HE HE HE EE

Le ee et ee nee meee tee

THE DATA EXPANSION 3

Magt: 99 Date: 06/16/88

„From: DAVID BAULCH

To: PETER FISCHER
Ret Z-S1/0 CARD

Pete,

I am going for the card ASAP, and 1 have the chance to pick
up a terminal cheaply. I am hoping that the card wil} work for
the terminal as well. I can do most of my processing on the
terminal, disconnect, connect the modem, and use the 2068
keyboard for transferring files.

David
CICICICICI

Msg#: 96 Date: 06/16/88
From: PETER FISCHER
. To: DAVID BAULCH
Re: T/SERS IN FOG? S

Boy,

That’s sure interesting about there being a number. of
T/Sers in FOG. Did you ever get copies of David Hill’s
newsletter? I put a little blurb in there about FOG. Maybe-
that’s what caused this phenomena.... But my question was, did
you ask Gail Rhodes if there were not another loca) FOG group
right there in Ft. Worth?

Pete
36 90.38 36 96 98 $8 30 36 36

Msg#: 100 Date: 06/16/88 °
From: DAVID BAULCH

To: PETER FISCHER

Ret FOG

Pete $

I did not ask her, but from the information in FOGHORN, no
such animal exists. However, the FWKUG here has quite an
extensive library, all of which is not on the board. I may join
it as well, $15.00 a year is not a bad deal. Most of the users
I met at my first meeting a few weeks ago stil) had and use -
Kaypros. Most are able to use UNIFORM with my format in the
program, so I should be in pretty good shape.

David
CICICICICI
Magt: 97 Date: 06/16/88
Fromt PETER FISCHER (Private)

To: DAVID BAULCH
Re: Z~S1/0 & ADDS TERMINAL

Please bear in mind, David, that Jerry & Til [do not care very

4 THE DATA EXPANSION

much for Clifford and Grey.) They will not lift a Finger to help
you connect a 2-51/0 to an Adds terminal. They will ask you why
you didn’t buy an RS-232 board from them...then you'd have no
problem (it’s ONLY $100!)

I would not approach them on this subject at al} if you
plan to retain a working relationship with AERCO

Adios, Pete!
3G 30 36 3G HE 3e IE TE

Mag#: 101 Date: 06/16/88

From: DAVID BAULCH (Private)
To: PETER FISCHER
Re: TERMINAL CONNECTION

Understandable, I guess, but 1 really need the information about
the terminal itself. If I can get that, | should have a friend
that can help me take care of the rest. I have tried to use the
‘cursor keys’ as stated on the front of the RP/M boot signature,
but the CS-5,6,7,8%8 do not work. T have the opportunity to use
and aquire Word Star, but | have to know the information about
the terminal, or the 2068, screen display. IF not, then Word
Star is of no use to me. |] will try without letting anyone know
what I am up to, but both Til and Jerry have given me so much
help and information that I stil) find some of that difficult to
believe. Thanks,

David
OGRE DE E DE DE DEA DE DE JE DE DE PEDE DE PE DE DE DE JE DE E DE DE BE NE DE DE JE AE NE PE PE DE JE DE BE DE E DE WE DE BE PE PE DE DE JE DE 3E E JE DE DE AE WE 3E

CP/M The Lingua Franca of Operating Systems
By John Davidson
IN Cider, May 83

As the computer user uperades from cassette tape recorder
program storage to floppy or hard disk, things get complicated.
More programs and files can be accessed more quickly, but
filing, handling, and retrieval! problems arise even more
quickly. i

The computer operating system (NS for short) is a program’
that handles this housekeeping. It is not a ’ language’ like
Basic, Pascal, or ADA. Neither does it, alone, do useful and
interesting things such as word processing (like WordStar),
spreadsheet calculation (like SuperCalc), or database management
(like dBASE II). It does provide a working ‘environment’ (great
buzz word) for both languages and applications programa. Some
operating systems are interwoven with specific languages such as
Basic for a simpler and more economical package at the cost of
versatility. CP/M is not, and most if not all of the
microcomputer )anguages in use today are available to run with
it.

To write a file (either data or a program) to a floppy disk,
somewhere there must be s record of which sectors on which
tracks on thte disk atready hold data and which are available.

A

THE DATA EXPANSION 2

Thus, the operating system keeps a directory on each disk
showing the contents of the disk and the actuali track and sector
locations on the disk where each program or file is stored. This
directory is both for the DS's own use and to be able to provide
a program list fer the user. From this information the operating
system can also tell what locations are stiil open for new
material.

Because disk rotation is painfully slow in the microsecond
terms of the central processor, the order of use of these
sectors is important. With sequential disk writes, for example,
the central processor must access a sector, store the data from
memory onto the sector, and then wait for the next sector to be
used to come under the drive’s read-write head. If the sector
ordering were poor, perhaps only one sector could be written per
disk revolution, the processor would spend most of its time
waiting, and disk operations would be slow. The operating system
assigns this sector sequence during disk write operations.
Obviously, the read sequence must follow the write sequence,
good or bad, or there will be a big mess!

In addition to the primary function of file hanling, the l
operating system usually cares for other computer system details
such as interfacing peripherals-your page printer for example.

Much of the work of the operating system is “transparent
to the user," as they say. Thus, in CP/M, to run a program
written in Basic you just type the file name of your Basic and
the name of your application program. CP/M locates the Basic on
the disk and loads it, finds the application program, loads
that, and then, with a Run instruction as its parting shot,
transfers contro! to Basic. To go one step further, you might be
using an accounting program that asks Basic (through file
opening commands) to get CP/M to access stil!) other files of
data. Through all this you need not (and probably don’t) know
the actual locations of any of these files on the disk. In fact,
you can pour another cup of tea while CP/M sets things up and
gets them going.

Why is CP/M so popular and ubiquitous on today’s
microcomputers? In a word- Portability.

CP/M enables very different microcomputers to exchange
disks. A program written on, say, an Apple with CP/M vill
generally run without modificaiton on a CP/M-equipped Osborne or
Altos computer and viceversa, AS LONG AS THE AUTHOR OF THE
PROGRAM HAS NOT CIRCUMVENTED CP/M AND ACCESSED THE HOST COMPUTER
DIRECTLY, AND IF YOU CAN SOLVE OR GET AROUND THE FORMAT
COMPATIBILITY PROBLEM THAT IS RAMPANT WITH THE 5 1/4-INCH DISKS.
(In fact, the program may even run on some Olympia
word-processing typevriters!) This makes easy program exchange
between computer people possible-a real benefit, witness the
users’ groups. More importantly, it provides a large base of
apparently identical computers for software writers, encouraging .
the production of many widely-varied programs, thus convincing
more people to instal! CP/M and the circle continues.

6 THE DATA EXPANSION

This portability is possible because the CP/M system
actually consists of several relatively independent parts. Only
one of these parts-the Basic Input/Output System or BIO0S-deals
with the host computer's hardware. Only the BIOS must be changed
to move CP/M from one type of computing to another. The rest of
the operating system remains the same. Thus the running program
only has to tell CP/M to send a message, say, to the printer. A
routine in the BIOS provides the address of your printer and
directs the message properly.

There is another reason CP/M is so widespread-
Compatibility

Often when an operating system is revised or replaced,
programs running under the old system must have modifications to
run under the new system. Sometimes it can’t be done.

CP/M operating systems are ‘upward compatible.’ A program
prepared to run on an older CP/M (say version 1.4) should work
fine on a never one (say version 2.2). ‘Downward
compatibility’-running a CP/M 2.2-based prograt on a CP/M 1.4
system with fewer features-may be a problem. This is usual ly a
moot point because you aren't apt to trade in your new operating
system for an older one, and your main concern is to protect the
program collections that you are building up.

Compatibility is of particular interest just now. Most of
the CP/M-compatibile programs on the market and in use today
were prepared for version 2.2. CP/M Plus (version 3.0) has just
been announced. If you get it, your 2.2 programs should run just ri
fine on the Plus. On the other hand, if you cling to your 2.2, i
beware when the Plus applications programs come out.

A ROSE by Any Other Name Than ROSE.COM Won't Run

Files on a disk are feferred to by their titles-- names of
up to eight characters, a period, and an ‘extension’ of up to
three more characters. The extension normally suggests the
nature of the File = PROG.COM, PROG.ASM, PROG, HEX, PROG. DAT, and
PROG.DOC, for example. In this group, PROG.ASM is the assembly
language listing used by the assembler (ASM.COM, another program
entirely, mentioned below) to create PROG.HEX, a hexadecimal
machine language File that is converted by LOAD.COM (another
separate program) into the actual machine language code to form
PROG.COM. PROG.COM is the actual command file or ‘runnable’ |
program. PROG.OAT would be data used by the PROG program, and
PROG.DOC would be an ASCII test file - English language |
instructions on the use of PROG. All these files could occupy i
the same disk. }

are arbitrary, but others are mandatory. For example, only a
.COM (command) file can be directly executed by CP/M, and the
assembler will only work on .AZSM files. CP/M allows wild cards
- the asterisk (4) and the question mark (7) - for some uses.

There are conventions governng the use of extensions. Some
The asterisk substitutes for any single character. Thus, DIR
i

THE DATA EXPANSION ?

PROG.* would provide a listing of all the files mentioned above,
and ERA PROG.D?? would eliminate the data and documentation
files.

A> Means ‘Talk to Me‘

As CP/M loads, it announces itself by displaying its name,
its memory size, and its version number. Then it prompts with
&>, meaning “Your wish?" (A is the disk drive presently in use.)
It is looking for a command, again a string of up to eight
characters, followed by carrisge return. [t checks what you type
in against its list of inherent commands and, with a match,
executes immediately. Not match sends CP/M to the disk directory
looking for a command file -(a File with the .COM extension) of
the name you entered. This can be either your program or one
from the crignal CP/M disk. If the disk has no .COM file of the
name you entered, CP/M repeats your keybosrd entry with a
question mark, followed by another A>. This time A> means ‘Want
to try that again?’ (Computers are so patient.)

He RHE IE IE HE HE HE HHH HH IE IE TE HE HEE IE FE TEESE ESE ESE IE IE JE ETE AE NG IE IE FE HE E M AE III JE EE HE IE EE IEE

Z88 REVIEU
COMPUTER SHOPPER, MARCH 1988
By Stan Veit

The first time-Sir Clive Sinclair came to these shores he
brought with him the -ZX80, the first computer to sell for under
$100. This vas the machine-that introduced thousands of people
to computing and with the improved ZX81, Sinclairs became the
nost widely used computers on earth. Millions of the little
machines were made in factories throughout the world as a
result. Sir Clive was knighted by the Queen of England for his
contributions to British industry.

Sinclair’s firm later designed vastly improved models such
as the Spectrum and QL which have a loyal following to this day.
In the US the Sinclair company had problems due to its lack of
product support and minimum presence in this country. Sir Clive
made no bones about it, saying, ‘for these prices you get no
support unless you pay for it.’ American users soon found there
was little support even if you were willing to pay snd although
they loved their computers, there was little love for the
company that made them.

At this point the Timex Corporation took over the American
distribution and manufacturing of the Sinclair computers. They
had plans to sell then in every drugstore that sold Timex
watches and for a while they did. Timex soon found that the
computer business was very different. Although Timex watches

take a licking and keep on ticking," Timex computers did not.
Seon the company found they had bitten off more than they could
chew. In England, Sinclair brought out vastly improved model but
Timex could not adapt to such a rapidly changing market and they
threu in the towel before their excellent new machines found
their niche. l ;

Back home, Sinclair ran into problems when Acorn was

8 THE DATA EXPANSION

avarded the important BBC Computer contract and other companies
such as Apple and Amstrad captured increasing shares of the
British market.

In spite of Sinclair’s excellent QL computer, the company
ran into financial problems and was sold to Amstrad to keep it
from complete death.

Sir Clive is now on the outside and the future of the QL
computers is in doubt. Never one to be discouraged, Sir Clive
formed a new company, Cambridge Computers Limited, and has
produced a brand new machine, the Z88 Laptop.

"Vhat’s a Z88?" [ asked. ‘Is this a PC Laptop Clone?’ you
may ask, thinking that the ‘88° refers to an 8088 CPU. "Not so,’
I must reply, ‘It’s only a Z80 Laptop.’ However, it is a very
unusual machine that comes with a powerful built-in productivity
tool called Pipedream and is light, compact and a pleasure to
use, after you learn its secrets.

The Z88 is B 1/2° wide by 11 172° long by 1° thick st its
broadest point. It only weighs 2 Ibs 2.6 oz. and is a pleasure
to carry. The screen is very easy to read with crisp purple
characters on a very light blue background. There is a
thumbwheel on the side of the computer for adjusting the screen
contrast. The screen shows ita capable of displaying 8-lines by
100-characters, but it uses only 6-lines by 80 characters in
vordprocessing mode, since it also shows headings, menus, and
indexes. In spreadsheet mode it has columns A to F which may be
varied in width.

They keyboard is a black rubber-like material with silent
membrane key~suitches and a strange tactile feeling. It took a
bit of getting used to, but in the end, | think F liked it. .They
keys are square in shape but large enough so that my fingers
were comfortable using them. I had to work with the keyboard for
quite a while before I could type without strange things
happening because I had hit a wrong key, or sequence of keys, In
the end, I got as good as I am on my AT keyboard.

There are three slots in the front of the computer covered
with plastic doors. These are used for plugging in RAM or EPROM
cartridges which constitute the only data storage of the
computer. Data is saved into the RAM cartridge which will store
it as long as the computer is supplied with power either while
on or asleep, If the computer is deprived of power due to
battery removal or wear, the data wil) be lost. The EPROM pack
on tthe other hand acts like a WORM (Write Once, Read Mostly),
except for the fact that the cartridge can be completely erased
with an U/V EPROM Eraser and re-used. Data written to tne EPROM
cartridge is not lost when the power is removed.

Through the use of an optional PC link consisting of a
cable and software disk, data can also be transfered to a destop
PC or BBC Computer for disk storage or additional processing.

The first tow slots in the dege of the computer are

THE DATA EXPANSION 9

designed for RAM cartridges while the EPROM will only work in
Slot 3. You could also insert RAM in Slot 3 but then you would
not have any permanent EPROM storage.

The unit sent for our test had one 32K RAM cartridge and
one 32K EPROM. You can also get 128K cartridges with either RAM
or EPROM. The prices for these were only given in pounds, but it
appears that the US prices should be about $30 for 32K and $75
for 12BK. The British prices include the VAT tax, which exports
do not pay, but not the US custioms, so the conversions should
be about right. i found that I could enter a fair amount of data
in the 32K unit, but I think that I might run out of memory if
I entered all the text of a very long conference. 1 had a 32K
Tandy Mode) 100 and found it adequate for my note taking at-
press conferences.

POWER SUPPLY

The entire power for the Z88 is four long-life AA cells.
There is an optional AC adapter which is a real clunker, ..

_ weighing almost 2 lbs., almost as much as the computer. While

this vill be used at home, few usera will want to haul it along
in a mobile situation. Cambridge Computers Limited recognizes
this situation and has provided the computer with
super-capacitors which wil) keep the memory alive while you are
changing battries for periods from one minute vith three 128K
cartridges installed, to 6 minutes with no RAM cartridges
instal led.

FIRMWARE

The Z88 comes with an excellent supply of built-in programs
consisting of an integrated spreadsheet, word processing program
and data file system called Pipedream. It also has built-in BBC
BASIC and a V52 Terminal emulation program.

In addition to these major programs the Z88 has convenient
*popdouns’ which are memory resident programs that perform many
functions:

#{ndex-This popdown is the key to all other Z88
applications and popdowns. It allows you to call other prograns
and to examine the status of memory in the cartridges, or to.
remove programs from memory.

xCalculator-You can use the calculator to make quick
calculations, even if you are in the middle of doing something
else. It has a lot of useful functions, including ten memories
and units conversion facility.

*Calendar-The popdown calendar lets you plan appointments
and to get to a date in the Diary which is part of Pipedream.

xClock-Shows you the time while you are working.

#Alarm-Lets you set several alarms with a given time and
date. Each reminder can include a message. You can even set the

10 THE DATA EXPANSION

alarm to run a progran.

*Filer-This popdown gives you access to the 288 filing
system, allows you to store data to RAM or to the EPROM
cartridge.

*Panel-The Panel is a set of controls which allows the user
to tailor the way the keyboard, filer, and interface work.

*Import/Export-This popdown allows you to transfer data to,
or from another computer, via a simple set of commands.
Cambridge Computer Limited has provided optional software and
cables to transfer information or programs with either a PC or
a BBC (Acorn) computer.

INTERFACE PROVISIONS

Only one serial port is provided on the 788 for connection
to the outside world. This is accessed through a DB? socket on
the right side of the computer. Cambridge Computers Limited has
provided optional interface cables to connect to standard
printers, modems, and other computers. These are supplied as
extra cost. The simplest is a seria} cable which converts fron
the 9-pin connections into a standard DB25 Mail connector. The
Parallel Printer cable contains a Seria)-to-Parallel converter
which 1 used with my Star Printer and with other parallel
printers. The printer driver software is compatible with Epson
compatible printers and the Printer Editor in Pipedream allows
you to create your own printer drivers for other printers. This
scheme may work in the UK, but I think that people in the US who
would buy the Z88 need more printer drivers provided for them.

The PC Link package contained software which I used to
download from a WordStar program into the Z88. First I set up
the 288 using the Panel and then I downloaded text from WordStar
into the laptop with no trouble. Well, almost no trouble, I got
the text into the Z88 by following the simple instructions on
the PC link diskette menu. 1 saw the report of blocks Flowing
into the Z88, both on the PC screen and on the Z88 screen. Then
for the next hour, I devoured the Z88 Manual trying to find out
what happeded to it. Yes, I knew it was in the laptop, but
where? Once ] Found out how to look a the directory and how to
load from the directory into Pipedream, it was duck soup.
However, I fought that manual for over an hour to extract the
Simple procedure. More about this manuel later!

1 also uploaded both text and spreadsheet data fron the Z88
to my Wells American 286AT without any problem. The PC Link
software converts Pipedrean data into Lotus 1,2,3 format or
VordSter format and uploads or downloada on request. This is
important because the main reason for using a laptop computer is
to collect information in the field for later processing, or to
carry information with you for processing on location. The Z88
has proven itself to be excellent for both purposes,

COMMUNICATIONS

THE DATA EXPANSION 11

The Terminal V52 emulation works as it is supposed to, but
I fail to see what value it is in my scheme of usage for the
computer. It is not a communications program that I can use for
communicationg with on-line services such as Compuserve, or
Delphi and there is no such program provided with the Z88. I was
not able to download a communicaions program from my AT- simply
because I had none that would operate in the 32K RAM. I know I
can get one in BASIC that can be run on the Z88, but I did not
have time to set it up right now. It is enough to say that
Cambridge Computer Limited did not consider on-line
communications an important enough function to include it as
part of the integrated firmware. Given the example of the Tandy
Model 100, it is hard to realize that designers could have.
included that Terminal portion of a communicaitons program
without the most important modem management software. Since a

modem is offered as an option, | suspect that the communications

software comes with the modem, I would strongly suggest that
such a program be made available to users with their own modemas.
No laptop wil] succeed on this side of the Atlantic without
modem capabilities. i

` BBC BASIC

This is a nice interpretive BASIC and should be useful in
writing applications and utilities for use on the Z88. There is
a hug library of programs available in BBC BASIC in the UK and
some in the US as the result of schoo! using the BBC Acorn
computers. Most MicroSoft BASIC programe seemed to run with
little conversion provided they do not have screen access
commands. My experience with the Tandy Model 100 leads me to
believe that I will only use BASIC in a laptop to run sone
utilities that are helpful. I think the space used for BASIC
should have been utilized for additional firmware, with BASIC
supplied as a loadable option.

CONCLUSIONS

I really like the Z88 and I intend to take it along to a
trade show as a notetaking device. Its completely silent
keyboard will make it welcome in places where the click clack of
a Tandy Model 100 would be objectional. I do not like the fact
that it has no modem, or modem program, but I will get around
that by uploading to a PC. What I hate about it is the User’s
Guide which omits enough descriptions on several important
functions such as Import/Export and Terminal. In fact
information on all the popdowns is sparse. The manual is exactly
what it says it is, a User’s Guide. What is needed is an
Instruction Manual and this in not one. There is also no
technical information whatsoever. It does not even say what kind
of a CPU is inside or what the dimension of the machine are. As
far as trouble shooting, there are three pages of Error Message
definitions, that’s it! ©

When Sir Clive introduced his ZX80 he told the world that
for such a cheap price he would not provide technical support
except for an extra fee. Here he is vith a computer he ‘expects
to sel} for about $500 and he does not even tell you that!

12 THE DATA EXPANSION

However, on a call to Nigel Serle, well-known as Sinclair’s
representative, who is helping launch the Z88 in the US, I
learned that negotiations are undervay with a major US company
to distribute the ZB8. Perhaps these will be finalized before
this review appearsm The US address given for Cambridge Computer
LTd. will answer inquiries. The US price for the Z88 is expected
to be under $500. I suspect that we were sent this computer to
review to get our reactions, as an aid for marketing decision.

I will say that if Cambridge Computer Limited is going to
establish sales and support facilities in the US, or a major US
company will distribute it, they will sell a lot of Z88s,
providing the imported price is reasonable. Even though this is
not an MS-DOS computer, its size and connectivity make it
desirable. | am told that John Sculley of Apple Computer
obtained one in England and uses it quite a bit. Apple is not
the company who may distribute it.

I like the Z88 enough to buy it. My only reservations are
the support factor and the terrible User’s Guide. If they
provide either a direct factory branch, or a major US
distributor who will upgrade that missing information with
proper manuals and support, the Z88 will be a winner.

I hope that some of these improvements are incorporated
before the US product roll-out, because coming out with s nev

node) after introducing the initial version is really a bad
idea. For information:

Cambridge Computer Ltd.
162 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10016

or

Cambridge Computer Ltd.
Freepost, Cambridge
CB4 iBR
United Kingdom i
JARA R A DAE DE IE AE EIEE DEJE IE PEA IE FE MEIE JE JEJE PEJE IE AE FE PEIE IE PEPE IE EJE IE I FEIE FE E FE ME EJE IE IE IE MEIE IER IEK IEH E

AERCO STILL THERE
By David Baulch

I would like to try and clear up some mis-understandings
that I have been hearing about for sometime nov. The people that
Í am talking about are Jerry and Jil Chamkis, whom most of you
know as AERCO. I have been hearing from many people that AERCO
has deserted us and are working with the Atari people. To some
extent, this is true, they are doing work for the Atari people,
but they have not stopped supporting the Timex/Sinclair
computers. On the contrary, they are still one of the few disk
systems left that are still being manufactured for the Timex
computers.

I was having trouble vith the RP/M disk system and placed
a few phone calls to Austin. I was able to reach Til a number of
times, but Jerry was the person that I really needed to talk to.

(i)

THE DATA EXPANSION 13

I was able to reach him and explained my problem of using the
terminal emulator for the 2068 in RP/M mode. I told Jerry that
I was going to be in Austin during the 4th of July weekend and .
would like to stop by for some hlep and information about the
*bug’ in the emulator. Jerry said that he would be sore than
happy to see me and wanted to talk with me about sore things
concerning AERCO and their system.

While down in Austin, I was able to set up a time to speak
with Jerry. He was able to provide me with a great deal of- -
information and help. He also was able to give me some
information and insight in to the background of AERCO and how
things are vorking for them. I told him how I had received mail
and letters that accused them of not caring any more, I am quite
happy to announce that this is simply not true. There may have
been problems, but that is understandable in their
circumstances. They are a very small company, two people, and
they have so much to keep up with that it is not aluays easy»
Jerry went out of his way to provide me with help and some
information on disk for me to use in trying to fix a "bug’ that
has been troubling many AERCO RM/P users. With alot of help from
Richard Molpus, | hope to soon have the terminal emulator
working properly. Jerry was able to show se that they are stil!
making controls and boards for the 1000 and the 2068 for
commercial use vith stepper motors. Remember, they are in
business to make a living, not just as a hobby or for the fun of
it. With the money they make they have al) the same bills to pay
as you or I do. If anyone believes differently, or tries te run
their oun business "for fun and a hobby’, they are not really in
business to make a living.

Jerry still believes that the 2068 is a very amazing and
powerful machine. He also stated that the Timex people are an
amazing group of very talented people. Who else would have been
able to exist this long with no support at al) except from smal}
third party people or from user groups and some very intelligent
people consistantly 'tinkering’ with the insides and codes of
the smal] Z80 machines. That takes a great deal of dedication to
a machine and a great deal of hard work.

I told Jerry that I was able, for a great deal less, to
provide myself vith a perfectly good CP/M system from a surplus
place in California. I just nodded my head to the person who
suggested it, and continued mon my way. I like the 2068 and have
become accustomed to all of it’s little problems. But the 2068,
as all of the other Timex machines, is for the "hobbyist’ and
the experimenter, not necessarily the user. That does not mean
that it is not user friendly, but for those that really want to
learn how to use a computer and what is going on in the insides,
the Timex group are the ones to get and stay with. Jerry agreed
with me. As he explained it, he has a Mac and a few other
machines to use for making drawings, information and other
things, but he only knows how to use the software. Other than
that, he considers them to be ‘toasters’. He said that the Timex
people are really sharp citing examples of Fred Nachbaur and
Jack Dohany. (Incidentally, Jack was the one that came up with
the code for the 80 col terminal emulator from the techincal

14 THE DATA EXPANSION

manual, corrected ALMOST all the bugs, and had it used with the
AERCO RP/M system.) He said that the MS-DOS machines vere nice,
but it was very difficult for the average person to figure out
what vas going on with them, or finding someone that really know
about the codes like Timex people do»

Jerry did say that the best machine for its size was the
1000 or ZX81. He stated that the coding for the ROM was an
academic exercise for some highly intelligent people in an
English university. It was something just to see how much they
could cram into a iK ROM. When it got over here, the 1000 vas
still in good shape. But when the 2068 came out, they people
really flubbed the ball. The coding was not as pure as the
original coding. The coding on the Spectrum was. much better and
Timex should not have made the mess. of -it that they did. That is
not to say- that they did not have some.good ideas, they did, but
they did not incorporate them very- well. He had heard of most of
the information that ‘was-to-be" and was sorry that Timex
"dumped’ us before we could really take off. He and others like
metre are stil) trying to ‘fix’ the errors and give us what ve
Need.

I have gone on for some time nov,- and I am certain that I
have ‘rankjled' some people that have had. problems with AERTO. I
am sorry, but I cannot agree with you about how bad they are.
They have given me, as 1 have explained, a oreat deal of help
and information that vas very difficult to get from many other
people that claim to support Timex. Some of those supporters and
no longer supporting Timex or Sinclair computers. They have
dropped us and moved to other computers that can make more
money. I cannot deny them the necessity to make money, that- is
why they are in business, but I have very rarely heard anything
from anyone about the problems they have had. To pick on AERCO,
that still manufactures parts and. systems for the Timex
computers,- that is ridiculous!

I spoke to Jerry about handling some of the complaints and
problens that might arise with AERCO and/or their products. He
vas pleased that I would take such an interest in what vas going
on. 1 told him the truth, I was. glad that they stil} were
vorking on Timex gear. but I was in this for me - to have the
terminal emulator work like it should. If this would help then
and others that use the RP/M. system, then-so much the better. So
if you have: problems vith AERCO,. you might send them to me and
see vhat 1 can accomplish first.. If it is out of my league, then
I will just forward them to Jerry. Just remember that I am
working on *softvare’ and not "hardware". If you have difficulty
vith the hardware, that should be sent to AERCO, but software

troubles or problems that can be written about, try me first.
3h HE DE E HE HE HE He HE DE HE DE DE JE DE SE FE JE JE DE JE BE PE DE IE IE IE DE IE IEM IE IE DE IE HE IE IE IE PEME JE IE DE JE HE IE PE IE IE PE EE MG FE M JEA IE IE TE IEE

PRACTICAL BANK-SWITCHING FOR THE 2068
By Stan Lemke
PIXEL PRINT PRESS-SUMMER °88

If any one factor can be said to have mad the Pixel Print
Prof. series of software possible, it would be the ability to

THE DATA EXPANSION 15

hold the LEFT and RIGHT columns in memory at the sane time,
48128 bytes of data plus the program! This was only possible
with add-on memory and a programing tool called BANK SWITCHING!

Bank Svitching gives the PIXEL PRINT PROFESSIONAL 2 very
useful capabilities: 1> the ability to hold 2 columns in Memory
at any time; and to svitch from left to right or right to
left... this allows you-to.’see' hov a whole page vill look. 2>
The ability to print a full page in the Standard 64 columen
letter format, or the twin/32.column newsletter format (like the
Pixel Print Press!).

Now here is a 3rd good reason!
PRACTICAL BANK SWITCHING CODE.

This is just part of a longer article soon to appear in!
The Time Design Magazine, 29722 Hult Road, Colton, OR, 970173
Under some conditions, bank switching can be a very simple, if
not elegant solution to:a severe memory problem. This article
discusses in some detail several practical bank-switching
applications and in ir] provide three short machine code
routines that do data transfer: between banks,

Each of these routines could be used in some way with the
PROF., the one I want to tell you about, however, vill be used
to MERGE the LEFT and RIGHT columns into 1 column!.

The routine is 41 bytes long, it-is relocatable, but must
be sate in the PRINTER BUFFER: (23296) as no other memory is
available... es

To use this routine, prepare the two columns by erasing
everything that you do not need... use the COPY function to move
up or down the remaining data, switching between columns unti?
ready, . i

Select SAVE, the 'BREAK*, RANDOMIZE USR 23296: RUN (ENTER).
Both L/R columns will be-merged! POKE these values from address
23296 to 23336.

OLIGER, CASSETTE, & MICRO DRIVE

33, 84, 161, 17, 84, 163, i,. 0, 94, 62, 0, 211, 248, .
26, 245, 62, 224, 211, 244, 241, 182, 119, 245, 62, 1, 211,
ry ane 18, 19, 35, 11, 120, 177, 32, 229, 62, 0, 211,

MERGE COLUMN MACHINE CODE FOR THE AERCO DISK

33, 84, 161, 17, 84, 161, 1, 0, 9A, 62, i, Zili; 244,
26, 245, 62, 225, 211, 264, 241, 182, 119, 245, 62, l, 211,
244, 241, 18, 19, 35, 41, 120, 177, 32, 229, 62, i, 211,
244, 201

3 336 0 EN EEE DE JE JE E IE IE DE DE SESE E IE DE IE AE FE IE DEJE IE IE IE JE IE FE FE JEE JEE RIE MEIK x RRMA Ne KH HKA EX

32K RAM EXPANSION CARTRIDGE

16 THE DATA EXPANSION

What is this 32K RAM Expansion Cartridge? What can it be
er i These are obviously the type of questions many of you
ave!!! . ,

So. let me tel} you about it!

David Hildebrand, a good friend for over 10 years how, is
the man behind this product! David and I (Stan Lemke) like to
discuss T/S products, so it was only a matter of time... soon
talk turned into action. We T/S people are Tike that!!

David vorked on a variety of designs vith a variety of
‘chips’, and really has tvo in ‘production’ -at this time. These
all little cartridges fit nicely under the door of the T/S 2068

ock.

All you need to do is plug them into the computer (the
computer must be turned OFF), close the dock lid, and forget
about it.

The ‘Pixel Print Professional” will automatically use this
RAM as it is needed, other programs vill not be affected!

l am already planning new software that will take advantage
of thei added memory capability!!

A graphics program, PIXEL ARTIST, will use it. This will be
a VERY fast/powerful graphics progran for the Desktop
environment.

An enhanced TASWORD conversion in on the boards... it will
take a complete 300 line TASWORD file and convert it to the OTP
format and change FONTS in mid-column!

Anyway, the use for this board is limited only by our
imagination.

David made a first “production” run of 10 cartridges... a
modest start. As of this time, ve have only sold 4 (1 I bought
myself!) The present price of $40 plus $4 for handling and
shipping, is based on the COST of memory when David made these
first 10. The price vill change as the cost of ‘chips’ continues
to go up!

The B-I-G question in our minds is if there will be any
more. At the current rate of sales, these 10 will be the only
ones made... our desire, of course, is to build as many as
possible!! °

So, if you are ‘vaiting’ for the price to come down, don’t
vait!! This price is ROCK-BOTTOM already and wil) certainly go
up as that is what the price of “chips” is currently doing.

So, if you have been thinking of expanding your TS-2068 a
little, there is not better time than NOU!
REKMMAR MMR RKRMMHARKKMA ERKNE RRAMAAKKAKHK KRAKA RRRA tr tte ttt ERKKA K

a

THE DATA EXPANSION 17

A COMMITMENT-WHAT IT TAKES
SMUG BYTES-JUNE ‘88

We all know of busy people who get a lot of things done and
accomplish a lot of things. They seem to be successful at almost
everything they decide to do. We feel inferior to these people
because they seem to have so much talent. But is it really
talent or is it something else?

What does it take to be a success at something? Some of it
is brains. Some of it is training. But most of it is a
commitment. With a stong enough a commitment, brains and
training deficiencies are rapidly overcome.

The same sort of commitment applies to a sport or a hobby.
You don’t get on the Olympic Team without some sort of
commitment of a major sort. You don’t become a home computer
expert or programmer without a commitment as well, 2s

This uas brought out as a lesson again in the home computer
boom of the eariy 1980’s. It was the ‘in’ thing back then to
have a home computer. Most of us didn’t know if we wanted to
make that sort of commitment in dollars until the price of
computers comae doun quite a bit. Many of us: first took the
plunge when the price got below the $100 mark and bought that
First 2X81 or TS1000. It was sort of fun Joining a User Group
and rubbing elbous with a lot of other neophites. It was nothing
to have over 100 people attending a user meeting.

Where are they now? All these people? How many are still
active in computer ing?

Some went on to other computers as they found they had an
experimenters toy and needed something more, I guess many
expected a lot more for their small investment than they got. So

to do with it. These people never wanted to be programmers or
experimenters but only users. Fine, but they are stil} in
computering as they stil] use one albeit not their 7x81. They
are still active in computering. We don’t count them as being
people who fel} by the wayside,

Unfortunately, the boom also brought in a lot of people who
veren’t serious about computers. The mental bend of most of
those kinds of people would be to rather watch TV than to do any
sort of mental improvement such as computer programming with the
screen. It takes a Strong commitment to become a Programmer just
as it does to become an MD, lawyer, or PhD, Lots of would-be
students don’t seen to have sufficient commitment and give up at
the first difficulty. I’ve Noticed this with college students as
well as with hobbisats. í

The interesting thing about working the brain is that, like
Physical exercise, it improves it. You can’t wear out your brain

18 THE DATA EXPANSION

although as much as some people use it, it withers away from
disuse. The other thing about the brain is that it does tire of
the same thing after a while so shifting it to something else
refreshes it. I work at one mental thing at work and another
thing at home. Much like using different muscles. Of course,
solving computering problems is a bit akin to climbing Everest.
Why do we do it? Because the problem is there and becomes a
personal challenge. We don’t do it because it has already been
done. There is a real sense of achievement in solving a really
tough computering problem. Your really tough problem may not be
as tough as my really tough problem but the sense of achievement
is just as great.

Anyone who has ever tackled machine code know the
eee ator ine sense of achievement when the |! @¥Sx%x2°() finally
WO Se

But the same sort of sense of achievement was around when
you tackled that Basic problem as well.

How many ZX and TS machines are gathering dust in attics
and basements or end up in garage sales? Some of this is
understandable as they were a bit unueildly and people outgrew
them and needed something a bit more professional. But many
people never outgrew them and just gave up after a hal fhearted
attempt. Over half fall by the wayside but a few come back for
a second try and then usually succeed as they finally realize d
the commitment they have to make. Unfortunately, too few come L d
back for thst second try.

Lack of commitment seems to be the pervading way of life
for a lot of people in the US. The phenomena is probably a
national sentiment. Countries where people have a stonger sense
of commitment are not only gaining on the US, but in many cases
have surpassed us. Lack of commitment is s fast way of becoming
second or even third rate. Many people want a big paycheck but
don’t vant to do anything much to earn it or even do any study
to qualify for it. It takes quite a slow learner to be so slow
you can’t teach him/her anything. I bend over backwards for
students who really want to learn, but are having a hard time at
it. I don’t go out of my way for those that don’t want to learn.
Commitment is something you grow up with. It’s something you and
you alone can do. But you have to do it to achieve anything
worthwhile. (Being a teacher, myself, I must agree with Dr.
Lloyd Dreger here. I am the same way about my students as
well.~-David)

You can learn about commitment the easy way by going after
some purposeful goal, becoming -what you want to be, or you will
learn about it the hard way by never accomplishing anything in
your life and then wondering why you never did. The road to...
is paved with good intentions, etc.

Do something useful vith that spare time you all have. À
person once asked me how much time | spent at a computer during
the week at home. I thought for a while adding up the hours bd
mentally that I had spent in the previous two weeks and come up

>

THE DATA EXPANSION 19

with an ansver of 40 hours a week. Everyone has more free time
than that every week away from his job unless he is a workaholic
putting in 70 hour weeks. If you spend from 6 to 11 every night
and all day Saturday and Sunday you have over 60 hours of free
time to spend and still leave time for eating and sleeping. What
you do with this free time is up to you. You can do something
useful or you can fall asleep watching TV-—-must have been a
really exciting program! Granted that the 40 hour weeks at the
computer were an intensive period where I really was vorking on
something interesting but that still means I had 20 hours to do-
other things as vel! like mow the lawn, clean the house, etc.
Nobody says you have to make that full a commitment to something
but it shows what can be done if you really want to. Again, it
is up to you.

One word of caution, there can be such a thing as too much
commitment if it’s for the wrong thing. If something is a hobby,
don’t make the commitment to your hobby stronger than your 7
commitment to your work, I have seen: that end up in disaster for
people. Work comes first!

TTT TTT AE JE JE IE DE ME IE IE DE DE IE NE JE DE DE IE PE IE E E IE PE IE DE IE DE PE IE DE DE IE IE JE IE PE PE IE JE IE IE E ES IE IE FE IE IE

2068 PROGRAM NOTES
By Warren TAylor
CATS-July °*88

I have received some programs for the 2068 that some
members may not know about. These are programs on disc from Jack
Dohany. They are custom made to your input device (disc, tape,
or whatever) and to your type of printer. This information you
give him when you send in your order.

One program |] received was an updated version of MSCRIPT.
One of the features is speeding up the "arrows", etc. The part
I like is the simple vay of getting italics, underlining,
emphasized print, etc. For example, just use function G and ‘U°.
To stop, use function G and *u’. Same thine for italics, capital
l to start and snall i to quit. Capital E to emphasize and small
e to quit. Makes it quite simple.

There are many more new features that 1 have not been able
to explore as yet. Jack calls it Customized MSCRIPT V5.3".

Another program | received was Customized VU-CALC. This,
too, is customized for your particular setup. The most important
changes are in saving, loading, and printing. The SAVE and LOAD,
in my case, are to disc. Printing is in condensed mode which
will allow a 50x19 printout. You can move it to start anywhere
(depending on where the cursor is) and as many columns as you
want.

There is another program (Master File) but cannot say
anything about this as I am awaiting for an original so I can
get all the documentation.

The instructions for use are also on the disk.. All one has
to do is boot up MSCRIPT (MS), load the DOC into it, and then

20 THE DATA EXPANSION

print it out. There are more than 12 pages for MS alone.

l have a couple of questions. Does anyone have a working
AERCO interface they would like to sell? Another, is there any
member that repairs the 20687 I absentmindediy started to remove
my interface with the power on, so the computer is in trouble.
The screen comes up vith four or so black and white bars across
it but does not progress to the trademark.

The last question: Has anyone found this bug in Checkbook
Manager? After entering the information for the check, the next
step is to enter it into its category. The bug shows up uhen the
cents part is preceded by a zero (.01, .02, etc.). After you
have picked the category and entered it, it reverses the two
numbers. They now become .10, .20, etc. I like the program
because I break into it and change the categories to what I

want.
HEKKMKE ELH KH EKRKRHKAEKH KE ERANA EKNRA REAR EKRKEAKKANK KRRAKEKKNLE HK RR EK

SOME HELP FOR OUT-OF-DATE PRINTERS AND OTHER HELPFUL INSIGHTS

About two years earlier, I purchased a nev (close-out)
printer to use with my 2068 from a place that sold NEC printers.
My NEC PC-PR103A is IBM compatible but not EPSON compatible. I
still like it and it does have an excellent NLQ mode that is
easy to read. I have used it for correspondence, making tests,
data processing, listings, the newsletter, and more. I found
that I was`úsing it more and more and the print was getting
dimmer and dimmer. Time to purchase a new ribbon, but Finding
one proved to be difficult. I made telephone calis all over the
US to find a place to purchase ribbons from. I finally found one
place and, at the price of $15.00, I purchased one. About six
months later, I needed another ribbon, but the place that 1 had
ordered it from no longer had them. Time for the telephone calls
again.

This time I called the people in the know, NEC headquarters
here in the US. They got cracking quickly and lined me up with
their place in California .at the warehouse. I was happy for
about a year, changing ribbons when it was necessary, but 1
needed to have a few nore again. I found my bill, called the
number and found that it vas disconnected because they had
moved. I really did not feel like calling all over again, but I

did. This time I called most of the ‘ribbon’ sellers in COMPUTER:

SHOPPER only to find that no one carried that ribbon anymore. So
I was stuck with three cartridges of ribbon that were all about
played out. 1 did try to spray the ribbons with a Silicon Spray
that I have in the shop (because I was out of WD-40), let it
dry, and tried it out in the printer. To my amazement, the
ribbon was like new, but stil}, with use, it did not last very
long. I also did the other two cartridges, but with the length
of the newsletter and many pages of documentation that I was
printing out for CP/M utilities, I ran out pretty quick. I was
becoming desperate! Besides, my printer paper vas out and I
needed to get more.

I] stopped at a new place here in Fort Worth, but I am

d '

THE DATA EXPANSION 21

certain that there are places like it under other names in other
cities in the US, called BIZMART. It is really a nice place and
filled with all the things that you need for school and business
supply at a discounted price. I was able to purchase my paper
for a little under half the normal price. J] also saw printer
cartridges, but nothing would fit my printer. Then I sav the
EPSON MX-80 cartridge. It looked very similar to mine, and at
only $4.00, I just had to give it a try. Vell, it LOOKED LIKE MY
CARTRIDGE! It wasn’t, but the construction and ribbon was the
same. | opened the EPSON case and the NEC case, exchanged the
ribbons, put it back together and put it in the printer. NO
PROBLEM - IT WORKED! Now I can reload my three cartridges for
the cost of one of my new NEC cartridges. The only thing I have
to worry about now it, what happens when | break the three
cartridges, where am I going to get others? Oh well, I will
worry about that when the time comes!

I have also been looking for sone disk drives, just in-case
the ones in my AERCO system ever die. Have you ever tried
looking for a Suggart or compatible drive, they are getting
difficult to come by. I did find a place in the COMPUTER SHOPPER
that sells the REMEX drives, exactly like I have;- for about
$35.00 instead of the $75-$125 I have seen advertized elsewhere
in various magazines and businesses in the area. So I figured
that if I went ahead and purchased some back-ups, | will be in
good stead for the day that the ones I have give up the ghost.
If nothing else, I might vant to make my system into a
four-drive system. That may not sound like an exceptionally good
idea, but you would not believe how nuch time I use in changing
disks, even on my two-drive system. You might vant to keep some
ot these things in mind or keep your eyes open for those flea
markets. | was able to find a still<-vorking ADDS VIEWPOINT
terminal for the price of s song. I was also able to find some
other terminals in COMPUTER SHOPPER for a very inexpensive
price. With the upcoming terminal overlays for the AERCO system,
you will not necessarily need to used the ADDS terminal.

ETT Tr EE IE IE JE ME IE DE JE A ME IE IE IE IE IE ME IE DE JE ME IE E IE JE IE ED IE I IE IE ME IE HE DE IE AE HE ME EIE IE IE IE FE ME IE DE PE ME FE ME IE ME IE |

ZX81/TS1000 TIPS
By Don Lamen
SINCUS~July/August °88

7. A five byte machine code routine to save printer paper while
copying screen?

This routine is fully relocatable. For our example we will) put
it in 1 REM and it will} copy eith lines.

ENTRY POINT:

-> 4082 1608 WO D, 083 8 dec.
(16514) C3é6B08 JP 0868
5 bytes

Using BASIC it can be put in as follows:
1 REM 12345
10 POKE 16514,22
20 POKE 16515,8 (The number of lines to be copied (1-24 dec)
30 POKE 16516,195
40 POKE 16517,107

22 THE DATA-EXPANSION

50 POKE 16518,8
Direct command - RUN <CR> then DELETE lines 10 to 50

To use this routine from BASIC set up a line for the USR
call and use GOTO whenever you want to copy other than the
normal 22 lines.

EXAMPLE:
2000 RAND USR 16514
Direct command GOTO 2000

NOTE: A direct command - RAND USR 16514 <CR> will clear the

screen and print po many empty lines.

To use this routine from Machine Code jsut use a jump,
relative jump or a call. The AF, BC, DE, and HL register pairs
are all changed, therefore, push all the ones you want to keep
onto the STACK before running the routine and pop them back
afterwards.

8. To find the Line Address from the Line Number:

Push AF, BC, DE, and HL onto the STACK if they contain
information you don’t want to lose, Then Load HL with the Line
Number integers. Next cali O9D8, Line-Addr subroutine. The Line
address will be returned in HL.

EXAMPLE: Find the Line Address of the line number 350.

xxxx F5 PUSH AF

CS PUSH BC
D5 PUSH DE
E5 PUSH HL

215E01 LD HL, 015E; 350 DEC.
cops09 CALL 0908, LINE-ADDR.

At this point, HL will contain the line address in integer
Form. Some of these might even work on the 2068, so give it a

try>
KEKMARHKKKAHMH KKM KKK KK KEAKREK TERRA RKAREK ERXURAHNKKKKAENR HAHA AKAN KKKKREK

A CHANGE IN THE FYKUG MBBS

There has been a change in the FWKUG MBBS. Ron Lane, Sysop,
has been running his board on a Kaypro vith a dual 44Meg hard
drive. Ron acquired some new software called ROS from a
programmer in Nev Mexico. It is extremely fast and very closely
resembles the old BBS that we are all used to. It is still a
‘free’ access BBS, but you will have to re-register to have the
full time implmented in you file. I, myself, now have the two
hour time limit. I believe that this is a good idea because it
allows people to get on the board easier now, I have included
some information from the ROSUSR.DOf that you need to download
first to re-learn your way around the board. I talked to Ron
about the Timex section, it is stil] there, but without use, it
will be discontinued. So give it a try. I am in the process of
uploading new software (PD) to the Timex section that is

fam

THE DATA EXPANSION | 23

accessible only by Xmodem (Loader V, Z-TERM, or Specterm-64). I
am also going to be uploading some PO CP/M software for those
with the AERCO system or the Zebra CP/M system.

Copyright (c) 1985, 1986, 1987
Alt Rights Reserved

by

Steven Fox
2112 White Cloud NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112 USA

1. WELCOME TO ROS

ROS is a fast, powerful message and file transfer system
that vorks in conjunction with your computer to exchange private
mail with other users, post public messages for many others .to°
read, dounload files for your own use, and upload files that
others may find useful or fun. If you are new to ROS, please
take a little time to read through this manual. If you are
alreedy familiar with ROS, you may vant to just browse, looking
up new commands as you gO. In any case, online menus are
available throughout the systen to help you when this manual
isn’t handy.

Yhenever ROS is listing or typing something to your
computer, you
may enter a CTRL-S (press the ‘Control’ key and S’ at the sane-
time) to make the display pause. Output will pause until you
press CTRL-Q. CTRL-C way be entered at ANY time, ineluding when
output is paused, to completely stop the listing. ROS will then
return to a command prompt.

Commands consist of & single letter entered in upper or >
lower case and should not be followed by a carriage return
(CRETURN>). For example, to read a mesaage, just enter the
letter ‘r’ (with out the quotes). ROS will echo the whole word
*Read’ and then continue with the command execution. Frequently,
ROS will ask for more information to complete the command. The
appropriate section in this manual will provide more information
about these secondary prompts. : i

2. SYSTEM PROMPTS

System prompts are displayed while ROS is waiting for a
command to one of the three sub-systems (described in more
detail later). These prompts consist of several pieces of
informations

Time remaining

Current sub-system

Current file or message ares

Library or archive name (if a library or archive is active)
Optional help reainder (controlled by hele level)

For examole. the followina prompt indicates that you have

28 THE DATA EXPANSION

32 minutes remaining on the system, are currently in the file Q
sub-system, and logged into the NEWIN file area!

32-File: NEVIN Cpress °?° for menu»

Uhen you enter a library or archive, your prompt will
expand to include the library name?

32-Files NEVIN CVECTOR.LBRI Cpress '?' for menul>
3. COMMAND SUB-SYSTEMS

Many commands ere available to enter and read messages,
display directories, transfer files, and contro! the system
configuration. These commands are grouped into three command
sub-systems as shown in Figure 3-1. Subsequent sections of this
manual describe each sub-system and the commands that can be
entered.

- > eeeeme svete oante:

Sub-system ' Primary Use
Message sub-system - Enter and read messages
File sub-systen Transfer files

Utility sub-system Miscellaneous Functions
4. MESSAGE SUB-SYSTEM .

Figure 4-1 lists the message sub~system commands.
Subsequent paragraphs describe each command in detail. VW

Message Sub-System

=== Functions == sez Bulletins =zz - zaz: System Changes ===

<A>nswer last msg (Bulletin <G>oodbye (logoff)
<C>hange msg area (1> Turbo User Group <F>ile Sub-System
<Doelete a asg <2> Xaodem <Uotility Sub-Systen
«E>nter a msg (3> ROS <X>pert mode toggle

<I>nfo for new users ¢4> ROS 3.6 l
<O>ther systeas list <5> File posting
<Qruick-scan measages C6) Bonus Tine

<R»ead messages

<(S>can messages

Fig. 4-1: Message Sub-system
4.1. <A>nswer last msg
i -s command is similar to the (Enter command (described

below). KA i :

The message vill be automatically addressed to the
individual vho

wrote the last messace you read.
&.Z2. <Cohance msg area

ROS supports several message areas allowing messages to VU